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Events

Tuesday, 25 March - Solemn Ceremony
DPI, in collaboration with the Permanent Representatives of the Caribbean Community Ambassadors’ Caucus and the African Group of Ambassadors to the UN, has organized a solemn observance in the ECOSOC Chamber from 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will deliver a statement as will the President of the General Assembly. Congressman Donald Payne, who tabled a Bill to commemorate the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the United States, and Mr. Harry Belafonte, Academy Award winner and human rights activist will speak. View Programme

Wednesday, 26 March - Opening of Exhibit
An exhibition organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information, in cooperation with Amistad America, the McKissick Museum of the University of South Carolina and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.will be launched in the North-East Gallery of the Visitors’ Lobby on Wednesday, 26 March at 6 p.m.
The two-part exhibit consists of:

The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo – The first part features fifty-two narrative drawings by Tom Feelings. These drawings are mixed media works of tempera, pen and tissue detailing the horror of the importation of Africans from a life of freedom to a strange new world of slavery. Also included in the exhibit are three sculptures by the same artist.

Amistad: The Story – The second part features a scale model of the Freedom Schooner Amistad and describes the historic Amistad Incident of 1839 when African slaves gained control of the 19th century schooner and demanded to be returned home. The Amistad became a symbol in the movement to abolish slavery. In June 2007, a full-scale replica of the schooner Amistad embarked on an epic voyage visiting the ports of call of the Atlantic slave trade in a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade, when Britain and the other slave-trading powers (followed by the U.S.) signed an international treaty banning the trade. Photos of this contemporary voyage will also be on display.

Thursday, 27 March - NGO Briefing
The DPI/NGO Section and the UNESCO Office in New York are organizing a DPI/NGO briefing on “Lest We Forget: Breaking the Silence on the Transatlantic Slave Trade”, preceded by the premiere of the documentary “The Slave Route: A Global Vision” from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium.

The event is expected to be webcast live.
The event will commence with the premiere of the groundbreaking film co-produced by Dr. Sheila Walker. The film will be screened from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., to be followed by the “Meet the Producer” segment from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. that will allow for a candid exchange with the producer.

The panel discussion featuring H.E. Mr. Raymond Wolfe, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations; H.E. Ms. Karen Pierce, Deputy Permanent Representative of United Kingdom to the United Nations; Mr. Howard Dodson, Director, Schonburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and Mr. William D. Payne, Former Assemblyman, NJ Legislature will follow from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. View PDF

Friday, 28 March - Student Video Conference
The First Annual Student Videoconference will take place in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UNHQ from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - “Lest We Forget: Breaking the Silence on the Transatlantic Slave Trade”.
In collaboration with Amistad America, DPI will engage youth in the study of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the dangers of racism and prejudice.
Students sailing on a replica of the freedom schooner Amistad retracing the Transatlantic slave route, which would dock in St. Lucia on 26 March, will be part of the videoconference. Other videoconference sites are in Norway, Canada, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, United Kingdom and UN headquarters. The entire event will be webcast at UN Cyberschoolbus.
Duty stations around the world are encouraged to participate “live” by sending comments and questions from any computer to UN headquarters in New York during the videoconference using a form that will be posted on UN Cyberschoolbus.